Store Your Data Recorded in Digital Form

Appropriate storage and regular backups help you to protect your data over time.

If your digital data is stored in physical form (e.g. CD, DVD, video, audio or computer tapes), check our storage advice here

The choice of where you keep your digital copies depends on any commercial, ethical or cultural restrictions on your data. The Massey University Code of Responsible Research Conduct (p. 9) says that when storing research records and data, give consideration to:

• The safety and security of the research records and data
• The durability of the data storage method
• The privacy and confidentiality requirements for the data
• Requirements ascribed to the storage of the data as part of ethics approvals
• Methods to ensure locating the data at a later date is simple (e.g. indexing and cataloguing)
• Massey's policies on data storage and retention

Always take a risk management approach when making storage decisions.  For example, if your data cannot be recreated in the event of loss, is sensitive,  or must be kept long term, then quality storage is crucial.  More information on what data must be kept

Further advice:

• Contact ITS to discuss your options for data storage.

Digital Security and Backup

Secure your data

Data security includes network security, physical security, and computer files and systems security.

• Only allow trusted individuals to troubleshoot computer problems
• Ensure that the computers used in research and/or data storage have up-to-date virus protection
• Use passwords to secure files and computers
• Although unencrypted data is ideal for storing your data because it will make it most easily read by you and others in the future; encryption may be necessary for some sensitive data, especially if the data are being transferred over email or File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Further advice:

• ITS Information Security Centre: contains information for staff and students
• ZendTo large file transfer service: includes information on encryption
• 7 tips to stay safe on Wireless Networks: tips for staying safe while using WiFi

Backup

Backup means to create additional copies of your ‘live’ or ‘working’ data, and store them in separate locations from your working data. Backing up your data is essential to avoid the risk of loss through accidental deletion, hard-drive failure, theft or damage of equipment.

Set up a regular schedule to back up your data and follow it to the best of your ability.

Three golden rules for backup are:

• Backup regularly
• Have a working copy and two backup copies
• Keep backups in two separate locations.

Further advice:

• Contact ITS for advice on backing up data
• ITS offers a laptop backup service for Massey staff and postgraduate students on the move

Training opportunities:

• Massey's Information Technology Services: learning resources for students (includes a section on smart approaches to securing, managing, and accessing your information)

Digital Storage and Data Processing Options

Network disk space allocation at Massey University

Talk to Information Technology Services (ITS) at the start of your project. Tell them your data storage needs and time frames and they will make a suitable data storage recommendation.

Contact ITS

ITS offers network disk space allocations for critical research data for schools and individuals.

Network disk space is available for the duration of your study or employment at Massey University.  Disk space limits are negotiable; generally, ITS allocate around 10TB per eResearch application.  If you believe you will generate more than this, ITS will advise you on your options.

Data saved to Massey University’s network is:

• Backed up (ITS provide a backup and recovery service across all network shares)
• Maintained and managed
• Secure
• Replicated
• Protected against malicious attacks and viruses
  Learn more about viruses
• Recoverable in exceptional circumstances (e.g. disasters)

Do not store personal content on your network disk space.

Apply online for network disk space - scroll down to the Storage heading

Portable Storage Media

Portable storage media include USB sticks, smart phones, CDs etc. Only use portable storage media as temporary storage for file transfer; for security reasons do not use portable storage media for permanent storage. ITS cannot provide support if data stored on portable media becomes corrupted or otherwise inaccessible.

External Hard Drives

External hard drives can be a good choice for backing up your data. Keep them in a relatively safe location, such as your office or at a trusted friend’s house.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage services are storage services provided over the Internet via the provider’s servers. Be careful when storing sensitive research data on free, cloud-based storage solutions such as DropBox or GoogleDocs, as they may not meet ethical requirements. ITS cannot provide support (i.e. restore or backup) should something go wrong with data stored in external cloud services.

When entering agreements with cloud storage providers make sure you’ve addressed risks associated with security, privacy and your ability to maintain access to your data should service providers close down or change owners.

Massey also offers up to 1TB of cloud storage in Microsoft OneDrive.

Further advice:

• Institute of IT Professionals NZ: cloud computing code of practice
• Office of the Privacy Commissioner: cloud computing - a guide to making the right choices

Long Term Storage

Deposit your finalised datasets in an archive or repository.

Publish and Share your Research Data - scroll down to the Ways to Share and Publish heading to find out more.

High Performance Computing

High Performance Computing (HPC) involves the use of supercomputers, parallel computing and/or computer clusters for advanced computing tasks including modelling, data processing and analysis.

Massey maintains an institution-wide subscription to NeSI (New Zealand eScience Infrastructure) which provides access to high performance computing resources ‘at scale’ for Massey University staff and students.

• Apply for access to NeSI's HPC platforms
• If you have any technical questions please contact NeSI support in the first instance
• For information about the Massey subscription and application process, email nesi-subscription@massey.ac.nz

Page authorised by University Librarian
Last updated on Monday 11 January 2021